Winning Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014 had to be euphoric for the players on those Kings teams. Many of them are still Kings – eight from 2012, 11 from 2014.

But their faces were long late Tuesday night after the Kings were swept by Vegas in the first round of the playoffs, culminating with a 1-0 loss to the Golden Knights at Staples Center.

Here’s a look at the Kings’ season:

WHAT WENT WRONG

The Kings averaged just 2.43 goals during the 2016-17 season. That was tied for 24th in the league, and they did not make the playoffs.

They brought that number up to 2.89 this season – 16th in the league – and just made the postseason with the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

But the Kings managed a mere three goals in four playoff games against a Golden Knights team that allowed 2.74 per game during the regular season.

This might be the most stunning element of this series. The Kings entered with Hart Trophy candidate Anze Kopitar, who had a career-high 92 points. He had one goal and one assist in the four games.

Dustin Brown was the team’s second-leading scorer with a career-best 61 points (28-33). Brown scored four goals against Minnesota on April 5 in the second-to-last game of the regular season. He had one assist in four playoff games.

Drew Doughty is one of the top scoring defensemen in the league. He had a personal-best 60 points this season. He did miss Game 2 of the series with Vegas because of suspension. He had nary a point in the playoffs.

Neither did Jeff Carter, a high-scoring forward who scored all 13 of his goals after returning Feb. 24 from a lacerated left ankle injury that kept him out for more than four months.

Not to hang it all on three or four individuals. This is a team game. But perhaps the last thing anyone would have expected was to see the Kings held to three goals.

Marc-Andre Fleury, whose goals-against-average of 2.24 during the season tied for second in the league, was terrific in the four-game series. He was aided by the Kings not having enough of a net-front presence, something the Kings acknowledged after a 1-0 loss in Game 1 on April 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Kings then took just 30 shots in Friday’s 2-1 double-overtime loss in Game 2. Considering the game went almost five periods, that’s low; Vegas had 56.

Mistakes in the third period cost the Kings in their 3-2 loss in Game 3 on Sunday at Staples Center, as the Golden Knights scored three times in a span of 8:34 to erase a 1-0 deficit. The Kings were playing their best hockey of the series, but made what Coach John Stevens said were wall errors.

That was the game the Kings should have won. They had their best scoring output of the series, as well as a series-high 39 shots on goal. But they were also 0 for 5 on the power play.

By the time Game 4 rolled around, there was talk the Kings were one of only four teams in history to come back from being down 3-0; they did it against San Jose in 2014. Thanks to the fine goaltending of Jonathan Quick, and a solid defense, the Kings were in Game 4 until the end, when they pulled Quick and tried to get the tying goal.

They didn’t, and their season was over. They outshot Vegas 31-21, but Fleury was up for every shot.

As Kopitar said afterward, “You can’t win a series scoring one goal a game, even less than that.”

It didn’t help that the Kings were without defenseman Jake Muzzin (upper body) the first two games, while defenseman Derek Forbort (lower body) didn’t play at all.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Kings had one of the top defensive corps in the league. With a combination of Doughty, Muzzin, Alec Martinez, Forbort, Dion Phaneuf (acquired in February) and Christian Folin – as well as up-and-comer Paul LaDue – the Kings allowed 2.46 goals per game during the regular season. That was fewest in the league.

They accomplished that with the help of another fine season by Quick. He had a GAA of 2.40. That was 10th in the league, but he could rise up on a given night and look like the absolute best. His 54 saves in Game 2 against Vegas was proof of that.

The penalty-kill unit was also outstanding, its 85 percent rate the league’s best.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Kings at times this season appeared to be one of the best teams in the league. They started 11-2-2 and won eight consecutive games from Nov. 25-Dec. 9.

That winning streak was especially noteworthy because it was done without Carter.

LOWLIGHTS

A roller-coaster ride is a fitting description. Yes, the Kings looked terrific at times. But they seemed to take on a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona. They had a six-game losing streak, and another stretch when they went 1-6-1 ahead of the eight-game winning streak.

Even inside of a given game, the Kings could look both tremendous and lousy.

THREE STARS

Anze Kopitar: The Kings’ top star this season. His 92 points (35-57) were easily his best, surpassing the 81 he had in 2009-10. He scored four goals in a huge March 22 victory at Colorado, and had a total of eight goals and 12 assists in March when the team was working to secure a playoff berth.

Drew Doughty: Not only did the defenseman score 60 points – his previous best was 59 in 2009-10 – he led the league in time-on-ice at 26:50. Although plus-minus numbers can be deceiving, his plus-23 was second on the team.

Jonathan Quick: A case could be made for Brown being the third star – he led the team with a plus-31 – but Quick gets the nod because without him the Kings likely would not have made the postseason. He started 63 of 82 regular-season games a year after being limited to 17 because of injury. By contrast, Fleury started only 46 for Vegas.

COACHING

Stevens seemed to have the respect of his players, who said as much during an interview with this newspaper. An affable sort, Stevens is appreciated for being approachable and honest.

Stevens did get the Kings to the playoffs in his first season at the helm after the team failed to make them in two of the three previous seasons. It would seem Stevens deserves the chance to improve upon this season.

FRONT OFFICE

Vice-president/general manager Rob Blake was also in his first season in charge. The trades he made in February that brought in Phaneuf and forwards Nate Thompson and Tobias Rieder displayed his willingness to try to improve a team that was already good.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Kings don’t appear to need an overhaul. Of all the defensive players mentioned, only Phaneuf (33) is older than 30. Another offensive weapon or two could go a long way in getting the team deeper into the playoffs next season, as well as give it more consistency throughout the regular season.

Forward Tyler Toffoli, 25, had 24 goals this season but had a stretch of 25 games when he scored just two; he had no playoff points. Forward Adrian Kempe, 21, scored 16 goals. He did not score a goal in the final 29 regular-season games, nor in the playoffs.

Another inconsistent forward was Tanner Pearson. The 25-year-old had 15 goals, but none in February, none in the final nine regular-season games, and none in the postseason.

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